Introducing The Venus Project Integrated Aquaponics System (#TVPIAS) in Kerala, India

In the soil near a small village at the south end of India, there are microscopic colonies tirelessly working. These include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, earthworms and arthropods, collectively known as soil microbes. They thrive on the fish excreta in the soil, breaking them down into nutrients which, in turn, the plants thrive on. This ecosystem – involving fish, plants and microbes – was designed with specific purposes in mind. It is all happening in the state of Kerala in India (Nanniode in Palakkad district) where The Venus Project has begun a new demonstration project.

When the word “agriculture” is mentioned, most people have images of tractors, pesticides, fertilizers, and toiling away on big fields all day long. We have a lot of work to do on changing perceptions. The activity that humanity spends most energy on is growing food, and then preparing it for eating. And yet, half of what is grown goes to waste. Agriculture contributes the most to climate change and to the diminishment of wildlife and its available space to live.

It seems clear that agriculture would be a major focus for anyone interested in making systemic change in the world. But this being an initiative of The Venus Project which has a holistic view of society, we will not limit our focus only to agriculture. We have about 550 m2 (5920 ft2) to play with, plus another 192 m2 (2066 ft2) for fruiting trees, and there is a lot that can be done with this space. Here are some of our plans:

Feed about 130 people (about 30 families) with clean, fresh and highly nutritious fish, vegetables and fruits year-round.
Provide the food locally through weekly packages of fish and vegetables that the families subscribe to receive. This creates a lower food price for them and predictability for us. Such a model is called community-supported agriculture.
Dedicate 10% of the area to research and development. There are lots and lots of experiments to do and improvements to be made.
Demonstrate with data and publications how a highly productive, healthy and ecologically restorative food system can work.
Expand beyond food and agriculture.
And more.

https://www.thevenusproject.com/civicrm?civiwp=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/mailing/url&u=1315&qid=2468539